Forget Everything You Believed About Computing w/ Gill Verdon | EP #102
May 23, 2024
01:18:54
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Gill Verdon, founder of Extropic, discusses brain-scale processors, accelerationist movement, AI and the Kardashev Scale. They touch on the integration of machine learning algorithms into physics, Effective Accelerationism, Extropic AI, thermodynamic computing, and the potential of quantum deep learning. Verdon explores maximizing intelligence per watt, thermodynamic computing, and advancements in chip technology for revolutionary computing.
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Quick takeaways
Developing processors with brain-scale capabilities and exceptional energy efficiency is crucial for advancing AI compute.
Effective Accelerationism stresses the importance of agility, innovation, and adaptation for societal progress in a rapidly evolving world.
Thermodynamic computing presents a novel and efficient approach to AI processing, leveraging stochastic algorithms to enhance energy efficiency.
Deep dives
Accelerationist Mindset for the Future of AI Computing
Embracing technological change and aiming to augment intellect with AI is crucial for securing a place in the future. The founder of Effective Accelerationism (E.A.C.) and Extropic AI, Guillaume Verdun, discusses the importance of an Accelerationist abundance mindset. His mission focuses on increasing intelligence per watt and scaling intelligence throughout the universe. The goal is to embed machine learning algorithms into electron physics and achieve thermodynamically efficient information processing to enhance overall intelligence.
The Quest for Energy-Efficient Brain-Scale Processors
Guillaume Verdun envisions developing processors that surpass the energy efficiency of the human brain, aiming for brain-scale capabilities with exceptional energy efficiency. The goal is to create processors with brain-like parameter numbers and model capabilities while maintaining higher energy efficiency. By increasing intelligence per watt, Extropic AI aims to propel the advancement of AI compute and scale intelligence across the cosmos.
Effective Accelerationism and Evolutionary Progress
Through Effective Accelerationism, Guillaume Verdun advocates for maintaining variance, dynamism, and acceleration as essential values for robust societal progress. The movement emphasizes the importance of agility and adaptability to navigate disruptive forces and challenges. By fostering a culture of innovation, embracing technology, and promoting individuality in AI adoption, the future evolution towards abundance and growth is envisioned, enabling humanity to overcome obstacles and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Evolution of AI Processor: From GPUs to Genov AI
The podcast discusses the evolution of AI processors, highlighting the transition from classical digital computers to GPUs (graphical processing units) and eventually to a novel approach focused on thermodynamic computing for Genov AI. It emphasizes the co-evolution between hardware and algorithms, enabling efficient processing for AI workloads. The introduction of thermodynamic computing aims to enhance energy efficiency and speed of AI by embedding AI algorithms directly into the physics of electrons, creating a third branch of computing.
Thermodynamic Computing and its Applications in Biology and Chemistry
The episode explores the concept of thermodynamic computing and its potential applications in simulating systems like protein folding in biology and chemical processes. It delves into the efficiency of probabilistic computing in contrast to deterministic systems, highlighting the energy-saving benefits of leveraging the stochastic nature of AI algorithms. By embracing noise and incorporating it into algorithms, the podcast advocates for a shift towards probabilistic computing on a full-stack hardware and software level, presenting a novel and more efficient approach to computing.
In this episode, Peter and Gill discuss Extropic, the science behind his startup, and his vision for the future.
03:16 | The Power of Brain-Scale Processors
18:56 | The Debate Over Accelerationist Movement
28:46 | AI and the Kardashev Scale
Gill Verdon, whose full name is Guillaume Verdon, is the founder of Extropic, a stealth AI startup, and a former quantum computing engineer at Google known for his work in artificial intelligence and quantum computing. He is a physicist, applied mathematician, and researcher in quantum machine learning, who has raised $14.1M for his startup, which enhances LLMs through thermodynamic computing. Verdon is also known for his online persona @BasedBeffJezos and his creation of effective accelerationism (e/acc), advocating for rapid technological progress as an ethically preferred path for human progress, emphasizing optimism and proactive efforts to shape a better future.
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